1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a smart card reader and in particular a smart card reader provided with mechanical means for applying pressure between a card inserted into the reader and the read contacts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
French patent application No 87 15739 filed Nov. 13, 1987 describes smart card readers in general and a smart card contact frame in particular. This document discloses that a smart card reader comprises card guide or positioning means including a corridor to guide said card, optional means to verify that a card is present in the reader in the correct position to be read and contact members which make electrical connections to conductive lands on the smart card through which are set up circuits used by the device incorporating the smart card reader. The contact frame is a unitary construction element implementing the stated functions. It ensures that the required contact pressure is always achieved when a smart card is inserted despite manufacturing tolerances and flexing of the contact members.
This type of smart card reader is susceptible to damage by vandalism preventing its further operation.
One of the most common acts of vandalism is to insert various kinds of foreign body into the card guide corridor, for example a cut portion of a card whose length is less than the length of said corridor.
In this case users are prevented from using the card reader because the cut portion of card cannot be removed from the guide corridor. This requires the attention of a maintenance team and prevents operation of said reader for a non-negligible time.
Although the entry slot of the card guide corridor is generally made as small as possible, a person intent on vandalism can insert into it an object such as a metal rod, hook, nailfile, etc which can be manipulated from the outside so as to hook onto the contact members and damage them irreversibly, so rendering the reader inoperative.